In Sermon Illustrations: "Missing Out"

When 53-Year-Old Danny Anderson Was Feeding His ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 12, 2008

When 53-year-old Danny Anderson was feeding his horses Monday night, a 5-foot rattler slithered onto his central Washington property. Anderson and his 27-year-old son, Benjamin, pinned the snake with an irrigation pipe and cut off its head with a shovel. A few more strikes to the head left it ...read more

Tags: Hardship Of Life

Emotional ...

Contributed by Joe Bertone on Aug 1, 2012

EMOTIONAL DECEPTIONS In 1930, in a small town in Oklahoma one high school seemed to loose all the football games they played against their arch rival from a neighboring school. The more important the game the worse they lost. Finally, a wealthy oil producer decided to take matters in his own ...read more

Tags: Emotions, Deception, Failure, Anticipation

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Christ Brings Unity

Contributed by David Ward on Aug 15, 2012

CHRIST BRINGS UNITY Every three years InterVarsity Christian Fellowship sponsors the Urbana Conference, a gathering that challenges university students to get involved in world evangelization. About 16,000 students from around the world attended the 2009 conference. After the main session each ...read more

Tags: Unity

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Great Chicago Fire

Contributed by Gene Gregory on Aug 27, 2012

The fire started at about 9 p.m. on Sunday, October 8, in or around a small barn that bordered the alley behind 137 DeKoven Street.[3] The traditional account of the origin of the fire is that it was started by a cow kicking over a lantern in the barn owned by Patrick and Cahterine O’Leary. Michael ...read more

Tags: Tongue

Denomination: Baptist

Eat, Drink And Be Merry...?

Contributed by Perry Greene on Sep 11, 2012

EAT, DRINK AND BE MERRY...? After the "Cold War" was over, a squadron of Russian pilots was invited to participate in tactical war games at a U.S. Air Force base. A gala dinner was planned by the Base Commander. Thinking to relax the guests, he offered a WW II toast to open the meal. Smiling, he ...read more

Tags: Judgment

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

God Opposes The Proud At Mt. St. Helens

Contributed by Bret Toman on Oct 31, 2012

GOD OPPOSES THE PROUD AT MT. ST. HELENS In the spring of 1980, the mountain showed signs of awakening. There were earthquakes. There was volcanic activity. Residents were told to leave the area. But Harry Truman would have nothing to do with that. He believed the danger was exaggerated "I don't ...read more

Tags: Pride

Denomination: Baptist

Wanting What You Have

Contributed by Spencer Miller on Mar 10, 2013

WANTING WHAT YOU HAVE The story was told of a young preacher who was rejected by the other associate ministers of the Church he attended. They said very little to him and would often talk behind his back. One day he went to the pastor and expressed his intentions of leaving the Church and seeking ...read more

Tags: Jealousy

Denomination: Baptist

Light In The Darkness  PRO

Contributed by Steven Angus on May 20, 2013

LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS Some of you may be familiar with the name Catherine Marshall. She was a wonderful Christian author who wrote such classics as Christy, which became a television series. There was an occasion in her life when she felt as if the flame of God’s love had gone out. It started ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 23:4, Psalm 22:1-31

Tags: God In The Hardships

Denomination: United Methodist

The Knowledge Of Good And Evil  PRO

Contributed by Lalachan Abraham on Jan 8, 2014

THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL Viktor Frankl in his book, "Man's Search for Meaning," describes the reactions of two brothers with the same heredity, the same environment, in the same concentration camp under the Nazis. One became a saint and the other a swine. Frankl tells us the reason why. He ...read more

Scripture: Deuteronomy 30:19

Tags: Good And Evil, Life And Death, Forbidden Fruit, Knowledge Of Good

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Pastor's Dream Of His Own Worship Service  PRO

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 28, 2014

A PASTOR’S DREAM OF HIS OWN WORSHIP SERVICE The story is told of a pastor of a large church who had a dream one night that really opened his eyes. He dreamed that he could see his own church worship service on Sunday morning. But there was something very strange happening. The choir was ...read more

Scripture: 1 Samuel 16:7

Tags: Church, Worship, Devotion, Intimacy With God

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Stone From The Old West

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 11, 2014

THE PRECIOUS STONE NO ONE SAW Back when the Old West was being settled, pioneers flocked across the country to California and Oregon. In one particular spot on the Eastern slopes of the Rockies there was a large, dirt covered rock protruding in the middle of the trail. Wagon wheels were broken on ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 21:33-46

Tags: Jesus Christ, Capstone, Rejecting Christ, Jesus Is Cornerstone

Commitment

Contributed by Tim Smith on May 28, 2015

Dave Hood tells the story of training to run a 5K run. Every time his wife and he would go running on their favorite trail, they’d walk a little faster, and with a little more gusto. One day, a half mile in and a young lady came at them sprinting towards them. They jumped out of the way so she ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:13-14

Tags: Commitment, Spiritual Growth, Running The Race

Denomination: Methodist

Beauty

Contributed by Tim Smith on Sep 25, 2016

Pastor Randy Kanipe tells the story of a Sabbath time away from his church while he was struggling with failure. He happened to be walking by a cow pasture and stopped to gaze over the fence, pondering the ’green pastures’ that he imagined God leading him through - my attention was drawn down to a ...read more

Scripture: James 3:2, John 1:5

Tags: Failure, Failures, Poop

Denomination: Methodist

Consecration To God--Making A Personal Stand For Jesus

Contributed by Richard Tow on Dec 14, 2017

I read the story of a young woman who out of curiosity entered a little Presbyterian church one evening. She heard the gospel for the first time and was converted. Later she heard God’s call on her life to go to China as a missionary. She was the only daughter of a multi-millionaire. She was ...read more

Scripture: Luke 7:1-50

Tags: Sacrifice, Missions, Consecrated Life

Denomination: Charismatic

Loaded Gun

Contributed by Steve Kinnard on Feb 15, 2019

LOADED GUN Let's start out with a story; there's a young man standing with his eyes glazing over with shock. His eyes slowly shift in utter disbelief from the still smoking gun in his hand to his best friend laying in the floor with an ever-growing red spot on his chest. His eyes fill with ...read more

Tags: Our Sins Hurt Others, Price For Sin

Denomination: Pentecostal

Notre Dame On Fire

Contributed by C. Philip Green on Apr 18, 2019

Just this last Monday (April 15, 2019), many of us were horrified to watch the great Cathedral of Notre Dame on fire. Its great spire toppled into the roof of the cathedral, and many feared that Paris’ most iconic landmark would be a total loss after standing for 850 years. However, early the ...read more

Scripture: Romans 6:20-23, Romans 6:4

Tags: Sanctification, Salvation, Restoration

Denomination: Evangelical Free

Floating Pumpkins

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Dec 8, 2020

Satan will use the same type of tactics that hunters use in Africa. The story is told of a certain African tribe that learned an easy way to capture ducks in a river. Catching their agile and wary dinner would be a feat indeed, so these hunters formulated a plan. The tribesmen learned to go ...read more

Scripture: Romans 3:23, 1 Corinthians 10:13, 1 Peter 5:6-9

Tags: Sin, Deception, Satan, Spiritual Warfare, Temptation, Sexual Sins  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Rms Titanic

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Jan 9, 2021

HOW DO WE VALUE THINGS AND PEOPLE IN LIFE? ARE WE INVINCIBLE? THE RMS TITANIC… WE DON’T NEED LIFE BOATS WE ARE UNSINKABLE? Matthew 16:26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? THE RMS TITANIC… WHAT? I ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:31-34, Psalm 23:1-3

Tags: Titanic, Not Prepared, Unsinkable

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Can You See It?

Contributed by John Bright on Feb 24, 2021

We are surrounded by things we can’t see, so are they real? It was really windy here this week. Did you see it? Of course not! We can’t see the wind. I saw the trees moving. I heard the wind chimes on the porch. I felt it on my skin. I never saw it… so is the wind real? Last week, during ...read more

Scripture: Luke 4:35

Tags: Physics, Light, Demons, Wind, Invisible, Gravity  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Methodist

The Lord Hears You

Contributed by Don Carpenter on Mar 2, 2021

Will Smith and Gene Hackman star in the 1998 movie, Enemy of the State. The concept is that whether you deserve it or not, the Government has immense capabilities to spy on every minute detail of your life. As unnerving as the film was, technology has only grown more ...read more

Scripture: Deuteronomy 1:31-36, Exodus 16:9-12

Tags: Testimony, Accountability, Speech

Denomination: Baptist